ESPN broadcaster Tirico gives insight into sports journalism

By: Jesse Caputo

Posted: 9/12/08

Mike Tirico didn't have an audience of millions for his latest commentary. Unlike the scope of his ESPN broadcasts, the sportscaster spoke to Syracuse University students and faculty Thursday in an auditorium of Newhouse III.

Relaxed and smiling, Tirico listened to his introduction by his professor from 20 years ago for COM 107: "Communications and Society" - a course taken by all entering freshman and first-year transfer students in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. He frequently interrupted professor Lawrence Mason with jokes for the audience.

When Mason said Tirico was the first student to ever receive the Bob Costas Scholarship, Tirico chimed in, "(Costas) is older than me and much shorter too."

Tirico, a broadcast journalism graduate of 1988, announces the play-by-play for Monday Night Football and hosts "The Mike Tirico Show" on ESPN Radio. He has called NBA games, anchored Sports Center and served as a commentator for major golf tournaments.

Before opening up the floor to questions in his hour-long discussion in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium in Newhouse III, Tirico spoke for 15 minutes about making it in the broadcast journalism industry and the importance of being a member of the Syracuse community.

"Those of you who go on to be successful, make a promise to come back here and do the same thing," he said. "That, more than the buildings or the wonderful professors, is what keeps the tradition of Newhouse alive."

Tirico went on to show that, while hundreds of students arrive at the steps of the Newhouse school each year with hopes of becoming the next Costas, Marv Albert, Steve Koppel or a dozen other well-known broadcasters, few reach such levels of success.

He expressed how fortunate he felt join ESPN while the network was in its ground phase in 1992. Tirico got the opportunity to audition for an anchor job in Bristol, Conn., and has never looked back.

"A door is going to open once or twice in your life," Tirico said. "No matter how the door opens, it's up to you to walk through it and get to the other side."

After he made his final remarks, Tirico opened the floor to questions. He set no limits. He let students ask about any topic they wanted.

They tapped into Tirico's knowledge and experience to learn how he approached his profession and what he did to put himself in his current position.

"I can sit and read a book about media law, or media and culture, but it's not going to teach me what he can teach me," said Arielle Berger, a freshman advertising major. "It's not going to tell me what it's like to be a sportscaster and be in this business."

Tirico spoke about the need to constantly prepare for his next assignment, which right now is ESPN's Monday Night Football game. As part of that preparation, he watches the majority of his broadcast from the last game.

He also plans to put in more than 30 hours of preparation each week before covering a three-hour Monday night game.

"We have so many people here aspiring to do what he does," said Erica Philippone, a senior broadcast journalism major. "To be able to see a success story and someone that came from here is encouraging, especially because so often we're told we're not going to make it."

Tirico said he enjoys broadcast media the most of all the outlets. Sports talk radio has become a negative media, where fans call up and only criticize players, Tirico said.

True to his schooling at SU, Tirico finished his dialogue by utilizing the power of words. He told the crowd, composed of mainly freshmen and sophomores, that the right words are an extremely powerful thing, and he doesn't like to waste them.

"The alumni, to have them come back, give back and to hear them talk, that's what Newhouse is about," said Aneesh Saxena, a junior broadcast journalism and sports management major. "I didn't pay $40,000 for philosophy. I paid for the connections, the alums and what Newhouse brings."

jtcaputo@syr.edu